Robert Jenrick, the former shadow justice secretary, defected to Nigel Farage's Reform UK on Thursday, delivering a scathing attack on the Conservative Party as "rotten" and "failed" after being sacked by leader Kemi Badenoch for allegedly plotting against her.
Jenrick, who stood against Badenoch in the Tory leadership contest, said the party in Westminster "isn't sorry, it doesn't get it, it hasn't changed, it won't change, it can't change." He added that he could not "in good conscience stick with a party that has failed so badly."
The defection deepens the rift on the British right as Badenoch struggles to hold the Conservatives together amid a string of high-profile moves to Reform. Jenrick had the Conservative whip removed and his party membership suspended earlier on Thursday after Badenoch said she found "irrefutable evidence" of his planned defection.
Speaking at a hastily arranged press conference with Farage, Jenrick said both Labour and the Conservatives "broke Britain" and were committed to failed ideas. He singled out shadow chancellor Mel Stride and shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel for criticism, blaming Stride for the welfare bill explosion and Patel for a surge in legal migration.
Jenrick admitted he had resolved to defect by Thursday morning but said the timing was accelerated by his sacking. He confirmed discussions with Reform began in September, facilitated by former Tory adviser Tim Montgomerie, but denied any specific role was offered. Farage said after the 7 May local elections, Reform would reject further Tory defectors.
